Voter registration for Palestinian municipal elections postponed by a week

Feb. 22, 2017 9:42 P.M. (Updated: Feb. 22, 2017 9:42 P.M.)

(File)

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Authority (PA) Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced on Wednesday that it was postponing voter registration for municipal elections by a week, as discussions were still ongoing to include the Gaza Strip in the electoral process.

The postponement of the voter registration process -- initially scheduled to begin on Feb. 25 -- was due to a decision having yet to be taken over the inclusion of the besieged Gaza Strip in the upcoming elections.

However, Hamas, the de facto ruling party of Gaza, and the Islamic Jihad movement promptly rejected the plan, saying that elections should only take place after the more than decade-long rivalry between Hamas and Fatah comes to an end and reconciliation is achieved.

"Elections should take place after ending disagreements, achieving reconciliation, and uniting Palestinian institutions, including at the political, judicial, and security levels," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said at the time.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has encouraged Hamas to participate in the elections, and urged Hamas to accept PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ initiative to form a national unity government in order to pave the way toward future presidential and legislative elections.

Prior to their cancellation, the municipal elections were set to be the first in the Gaza Strip in a decade, after Hamas’ victory in the 2006 vote erupted into a violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah, as both groups attempted to take control of the besieged coastal enclave.

A poll released by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) at the time found that 61 percent of respondents were displeased by the Supreme Court’s initial decision to postpone the municipal elections, with 60 percent believing that the decision was politically motivated.

Fatah and Hamas have been embroiled in conflict since Hamas' election victory in 2006 elections in the Gaza Strip, which erupted into a violent conflict between the two movements as both attempted to consolidate control over the territory.

Despite numerous attempts at reconciling the groups, Palestinian leadership has repeatedly failed to follow through on promises of reconciliation and holding long-overdue elections, as both movements have frequently blamed each other for numerous political failures.

Officials from the Fatah-led PA have criticized Hamas for creating a shadow government in the Gaza Strip and blocking efforts to reach political unity.

Hamas has in turn accused the PA of executing a plan to "eradicate" the movement from the West Bank, accusing Fatah of “escalating security collaboration” with the Israeli authorities through politically-motivated arrests and “adopting a revolving door policy" funneling Palestinians from PA jails into Israeli prisons.